Amazing, Busy, but Family!

It was a weird day of weather yesterday.....gusty winds, patchy clouds that in certain spots dumped rain sideways, and f-f-f-freezing too! I only know this because the majority of my afternoon / evening was spent carting my daughter to cheer clinic, rushing to pick her up, hurrying to a Parent Institute for Quality Education class, and then speeding to our daughters (plural) already in progress softball game.

The game started at 7::45 on a school night and my sons were along for the ride despite their 8:30 bedtime. I arrived armed with 2 blankets, knowing our sons as the audience would be frozen by the time I showed up. I was right. The blankets were little help but watching our fabulous girls slaughter the other team was enough to keep us tolerating it. No mercy....the game went the full innings and the score ended 17 to 1. Probably not a fair match up competition wise but it is what it is.

This year my boyfriend took the brave role of being head coach. He has assistant coached his daughter in fast pitch softball since she was 4yrs old but being an assistant for him was like being a back ground singer in the band. He was SO fabulous to watch in action last night. He gets so pumped up and suddenly I see him as the lead singer! No more waiting in the wings, this was his ball game, his call, his proud defeat. I couldn't be more proud of him.

And my daughter, a 1st year player on the team has an amazing natural talent. She always puts the ball in play! When I first showed up to the game, she was on third base and ready to steal home! She smacked that ball into holes in the outfield 3 more times before the game was over! I cant believe how good she is for a newbie. I have to say it is a WOW moment for a mom when you see undiscovered talents after 13 years.

My step daughter is good all the way around in the game. She is a bomb hitter, she is awesome at 1st base and she even relief pitches very well. Anthony has been grooming his girl her whole life. The nostalgia never wears off for him watching her be a super star in the game. He is such a good father! I love him for this.

After the game, I drove the girls home and Anthony drove all of our boys home. We are blended family of 7. I have three (girl and 2 boys) and he has two (girl and boy). We have 4 full time. His son lives with his mother full time and is here on his spring break this week. I cant say it is easy being the Brady Bunch!! Lord knows, being a mother to your own kids is HARD but to be an assistant parent to step kids is TRIPLE HARD. I find it especially difficult to maintain a consistent relationship with his daughter.

So on the way home, I figured us girls could extend the car ride bonding and possibly hit a restaurant to celebrate our victory. I mentioned to them we should go to Chili's even if it was almost 10pm on a school night. When we got home, I put my sons to bed and had Leslie (Anthony's daughter) to look up the hours of business for Chili's. They were closed.....so Apple Bees it was!

We ordered our food and drinks like queens of the palace. We were the only ones in the joint. As we were "bonding", I tried to make conversation appropriate and interesting to 13 year olds. However, this is not an easy task. Our daughters tell each other things that they agree ahead of time, NOT to tell their mom or dad...so as I was bringing up any subject, they would talk in code to each other, give each other the eye as if to say "SHUT your mouth....remember?" I tried not to let them know I was on to them by staring outside. I really wanted to know what they were NOT telling me but decided to choose my timing carefully. ASK ONE OF THEM tomorrow!

It felt like being in a meeting with your boss and how bosses must feel having to calculate all of their conversations with their employees. I was the boss and I was with semi disgruntled employees. Suddenly, it wasnt such a bonding experience after all. I started to feel used and abused and unappreciated. This feeling is all too familiar whenever I do anything nice for those girls. I am not sure it is the age, the dynamic of our blended family, cattiness of girls, or what. I sat quiet and puzzled and somewhat disappointed.

But just then, Leslie let out a somewhat small but non descrete burp. I am always getting on them to have restaurant manners so I expected her to say excuse me. But she didnt! She put this dazed and confused look on her face and said "Happy Birthday"! I was so suprised by it.

The expression, the delivery, the humor of that moment spun me into a laughing frenzie! I laughed from the deepest spot of my lungs causing me to hack as I was laughing. The girls couldnt help but follow my lead into laughter. We were all laughing for what seemed like an hour! When I came to......I realized we were bonding after all! I left full and satisfied and proud to be their mom.....no strings attached.

It was an amazing, busy day, and we are more importantly.......family!